This is a long story, with two questions in the end. About two weeks ago, we uncovered the pool hoping to add the chemicals and to make it ready for swimming. We bought a new Polaris and all the necessary stuff. This is a large and deep in ground pool that was not open last year, so there are tones of algae, leaves, water bugs, baby frogs and a snake somewhere. The snake is the issue. I have no problems with snakes, however, I don't see it in the water all the time and don't know where it lives. Therefore, I can't remove it. I refuse to throw shock (we use Baquacil) or to turn on the pump and kill the snake. The first time we saw it, it was in the skimmer. It ran away before I could catch it. Then, we see it swimming around from time to time. However, it is not always swimming, it goes somewhere. The bottom of the pool is VERY dirty (our old Polaris broke before we closed the pool two years ago), so maybe the snake lives in the bottom, hidden in the dirty. I have spent many hours on Google, trying to figure out if the snake lives in the pool or if it goes in the pool to eat and swim. It has been very hot here and, if I were a snake, I would be in there myself, with all the free food. Today, I spent a long time moving things around in the shallow and deep end, to see if the snake would surface, but it didn't. I'm starting to believe that it is no longer there. To make a long story short, here are my questions: can a snake live at the bottom of a pool for days on end or is it enjoying the pool on occasion? If we throw Shock, will it kill the snake? My husband said that the snake has its days counted. Please help! Thanks for any assistance you can give me.